The Social Welfare Department (SWD) announced today (March 18) that the annual adjustment to the standard payment rates under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) Scheme and the rates of allowances under the Social Security Allowance (SSA) Scheme (namely Old Age Allowance, Old Age Living Allowance and Disability Allowance), would take retrospective effect from February 1 this year.
 
     An SWD spokesman said, "In accordance with the established mechanism, the Government earlier submitted a proposal to the Legislative Council Finance Committee (FC) to raise the aforementioned rates by 2.2 per cent according to the movement of the Social Security Assistance Index of Prices. The FC on February 13 this year approved the proposal, which would take retrospective effect from February 1 this year. The retrospective payment will be issued in batches from tomorrow (March 19) through the existing payment method (normally through payments credited to recipients' designated bank accounts), benefitting over 1.6 million recipients in total." The adjusted CSSA standard payment rates and the SSA rates of allowances are set out at Annex I. 

     The spokesman added, "Furthermore, according to the movement of the Consumer Price Index (A) rent index for private housing, the Government will raise the maximum rent allowance (MRA) under the CSSA Scheme by 1.3 per cent, also with retrospective effect from February 1 this year." The adjusted MRA under the CSSA Scheme is provided at Annex II. 
 
     CSSA and SSA recipients may contact their respective social security field units or call the SWD hotline on 2343 2255 for enquiries.

Ends/Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Issued at HKT 15:00

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